PRIMARY PRODUCTS

Greymouth Evening Star, 31 August 1934, Page 7

PRIMARY PRODUCTS

WOOL IMPORTS [BY CABLE—PBESS ASSN. —COPYEIGHT.] LONDON, August 30. The Economic Committee reports that during the first half of the year 1934, the wool consuming countries’ importations of wool were 150 million pounds weight, or ten per cent. ' below those for the corresponding period of 1933. France was mainly responsible for this decline, her imports showing a decline of 120 million pounds. Germany’s wool imports during July were nine million pounds, as compared with twenty-six millions in 1933 but her import balance for the first seven months of this year showing an increase of twenty million pounds over that for 1933. DAIRY PRODUCE. LONDON, August 30. The Economic Committee’s report on dairy produce for 1933, refers to the remarkable increase in the consumption of butter in the United Kingdom in recent years, reaching 23Jlbs per head of population. Consumption of eggs increased to 152 per head. The report also mentions the decline in the imports of butter from foreign countries, notably Germany, whose imports, owing to restrictions imposed declined by forty-one per cent since 1931. In proportion, the world’s exports taken by Germany declined from over one quarter of the whole in 1928 to approximately one-tenth. PROTECTION JUSTIFIED. RUGBY, August 30. A review of duties on certain horticultural produce, originally imposed in 1932, has been completed by the Import Duties Advisory Committee, and the Treasury have issued an order for their continuance, with slight modifications. The Committee now states while there is still much to be done, the industry, as a whole, has responded well to the call made on it. There is a general consensus of evidence as to the large increase in home production, and as to the advance in marketing methods. From no quarter has it been suggested that prices generally have been affected to the detriment of the consumer. In these circumstances, they see no reason to recommend any reduction in the measure of protection afforded by the existing duties. _________________